Sunday, February 28, 2016

1. It is Great – the greatest subject (salvation) “discussed”
by the greatest Highest Authority

2. It is a Mystery – a truth unknowable by human reasoning
but only be revelation of God

3. The Mystery of Godliness- how can man be godly, how can
God justify sinful man

II. GOD WAS MANIFEST
IN THE FLESH

1. The Incarnation of Christ [1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you]

2. The Substitutionary Death of Christ [1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was
manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.]

3. The Resurrection of Christ [John 21:14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed
himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.]

III. JUSTIFIED IN THE
SPIRIT

1. Conceived by the Holy Ghost [Matthew 1:20 the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a
dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.]

2. Empowered by the Holy Ghost [John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of
God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.]

3. Raised by the Holy Ghost [Rm. 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from
the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.]

IV. SEEN OF ANGELS

1. Worshipped at His Birth [Heb. 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten
into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.]

2. Aided in His Life [Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel
unto him from heaven, strengthening him.]

3. Announced in His Glory [Luke 24:23 And when they found not his body, they came,
saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was
alive.]

V. PREACHED UNTO THE
GENTILES, BELIEVED ON IN THE WORLD

1. A Universal Situation [Romans 3:23 For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God]

2. A Universal Saviour [Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little ° lower
than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that
he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.]

3. A Universal Salvation [Romans 10:13 For ° whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.]

VI. RECEIVED UP INTO
GLORY

1. The Risen Lord [Luke 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen
indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.]

2. The Glorified Saviour [John 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the
first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things
were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.]

A news story recently reported the first detection of an atmosphere around a super-earth extrasolar planet, 55 Cancri e. By evolutionary reckoning, this "primitive" atmosphere should have disappeared. Its presence may be evidence that the creation is young, just as indicated in Scripture.

Friday, February 26, 2016

"You never had a family altar; you never taught the child the Bible; you never tried to get him saved. Now he is in the penitentiary and you think you are not to blame! Let me ask you another question. Did you whip that boy and make him mind? Did you make him say, 'Yes, Sir!' and 'Yes, Ma'am!' and di you whip him and make him obey?"He answered back, "Dr. Rice, my boy was different. He was nervous and high-strung and you couldn't use those methods on him."I explained that Iwas nervous and high-strung also but that my dad just got a little more nervous than I did, so we early got that settled,The boy had gone to the state penitentiary a criminal and the father tried to evade the blame. He was wrong. He could have won that boy to Christ and could have disciplined him and made him into a good character, but he did not. - John R. Rice

And today the formal worship services in the churches are the enemy of evangelism and hinder soul winning. Many men would like to have Billy Sunday results from an Episcopalian-type format of the services. But it doesn't work that way. - John R. Rice

None who read this will expect to have seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, but you may be tempted to take marriage lightly. One of every three marriages in American ends in divorce [this was written in 1976]. Everywhere I go I find the shocking example of Christian people, who are born again, who believe the Bible, who go to fundamental churches, yet they break up their marriage. Good Christians ought to set out to make marriage a lifetime business and they ought to mean it with all their hearts and live or die by their pledge to "love, honor and cherish [or obey] 'til death do us part." Christian people should stay together. - John R. Rice

Let no foolish man and woman make the excuse that "I don't love him any more." What people are commanded to do, they can do. And the Bible commands, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). And elder women are plainly commanded " That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children" (Titus 2:4).Let good women dress themselves modestly and reserve their love and beauty and charm of their bodies and their caresses for one man alone for a lifetime. And let every man set out to be to his wife as Christ was to the church; love his own by grace, and to be head and high priest, protector and provider for the wife. - John R. Rice

When Solomon married unsaved, heathen, idolatrous women, he went against the plain command of God. And any Christian who marries an unsaved mate thus goes in violation of the plain command, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" (II Cor. 6:14-16). John R. Rice

A simple man of God, a converted stone mason, preached at the Pacific Garden Mission, using these Scriptures [Isa. 6:5-8]. With only a fifth-grade education and stumbling words, this man showed how God was glad when someone would offer himself.That day I offered myself to God. I said, "Lord, I do not have the dramatic instinct and the moving voice of Dr. George W. Truett, and I do not have the gifts some men have, but I will be faithful. I will not be bribed nor bluffed nor bought nor scared. I will preach the Gospel straight." And I began to preach.Oh, I know God is glad to have people volunteer. He wants willing service. - John R. Rice

In Ephesians is a blessed command, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." That is, it is a sin to drink wine and get drunk. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). But if it is a sin to get drunk, then in the same verse is another plain command, and to disobey that, also, is a sin. It is a sin to get drunk, and likewise it is a sin not to be filled with the Spirit, the Scripture says. Oh, the fullness of the Holy Spirit is for everybody, and the command is for all. - John R. Rice

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Do you have joy in serving Jesus today? The answer depends on where you find your joy. Most people find joy in one of two sources when it comes to ministry. They either find joy in the affirmation and response of other people or they find joy in Jesus Himself. If we find our joy primarily in the response of other people, then Jesus may literally be in competition to that. That was certainly the case in John's life and ministry.

John the Baptist was a man who had a great following. Then, something began to happen. Jesus Christ began to eclipse John's ministry. In John 3, John and Jesus were doing essentially the same thing in essentially the same area. This caused John's disciples to be jealous for him. John had been telling everyone about Jesus and had worked himself out of a job. It is very clear that John found joy in Jesus and not merely in how others responded to him. That is so important because other people are fickle, weak, and changing, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

John knew three things that helped him to have joy in ministry. First, John knew what he had. In verse 27 John said, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven." John realized that everything he had was a gift from God and a stewardship before God.

Second, John knew what he was. In verse 28 John affirms that he was not the Christ but was sent before the Christ. Later he expresses that he was not the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom. In other words, John knew he wasn't the main attraction, the Messiah, but he was the one who prepared the way for Messiah.

Finally, John also knew what he must do. In verse 30 John says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John decreased until he was one of the greatest men who ever lived, and he is an example for us to follow.

In the end, ministry is something you give and not something you build.

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When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 8:3-4